South Africa - Japan Tax Treaty
NOTICE
No. …………
…………….…….
1997
INCOME TAX ACT, 1962
CONVENTION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME
In terms of section 108(2) of the Income Tax Act, 1962 (Act No 58 of 1962),
read in conjunction
with section 231(4) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
(Act No 108 of
1996), it is hereby notified that the Convention for the avoidance of double
taxation and the
prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income set out in the
Schedule to this
Notice has been entered into with the Government of Japan and has
been approved by
Parliament in terms of section 231(2) of the Constitution.
CONVENTION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME
The Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of Japan,
Desiring to conclude a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income,
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
Article 2
-
The existing taxes to which this Convention shall apply are:
(a) in Japan:
(i) the income tax;
(ii) the corporation tax; and
(iii) the local inhabitant taxes (hereinafter referred to as "Japanese tax");
(b) in South Africa:
(i) the normal tax; and
(ii) the secondary tax on companies (hereinafter referred to as "South African tax").
-
The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially
similar taxes, whether national or local, which are imposed by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof after the date of signature of the Convention in addition to, or in place of, those referred to in paragraph 1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of any substantial changes which have been m-ade in their respective taxation laws within a reasonable period of time after such changes.
Article 3
-
For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context otherwise
requires:
(a) the term "Japan", when used in a geographical sense, means all the territory of Japan, including its territorial sea, in which the laws relating to Japanese tax are in force, and all the area beyond its territorial sea, including the sea-bed and subsoil thereof, over which Japan has jurisdiction in accordance with international law and in which the laws relating to Japanese tax are in force;
(b) the term "South Africa" means the Republic of South Africa and, when
used in a
geographical sense, includes the territorial sea thereof as well as
any area
outside the territorial sea, including the continental shelf, which has been or
may
hereafter be designated, under the laws of South Africa and in accordance with
international law, as an area within which South Africa may exercise sovereign
rights or jurisdiction;
(c) the terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting State" mean Japan or South Africa, as the context requires;
(d) the term "person" includes an individual, a company and any
other body of
persons which is treated as an entity for tax purposes;
(e) the term "company" means any body corporate or any entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
(f) the terms "enterprise of a Contracting State" and "enterprise
of the other
Contracting State" mean respectively an enterprise carried on by a resident of a
Contracting State and an enterprise carried on by a resident of the
other
Contracting State;
(g) the term "international traffic" means any transport by a ship or
aircraft operated
by an enterprise of a Contracting State, except when the ship or
aircraft is
operated solely between places in the other Contracting State;
(h) the term "competent authority" means:
(i) in the case of Japan, the Minister of Finance or
his authorized
representative;
(ii) in the case of South Africa, the Commissioner for Inland Revenue or his authorized representative;
(i) the term "nationals" means:
(i) in the case of Japan, all individuals possessing the nationality of
Japan
and all juridical persons created or organized under the laws of Japan and
all organizations without juridical personality treated for the
purposes of
Japanese tax as juridical persons created or organized under the laws of
Japan;
(ii) in the case of South Africa, all individuals possessing the
nationality of
South Africa and all legal persons and associations deriving their status as
such from the laws in force in South Africa; and
(j) the term "tax" means Japanese tax or South African tax, as the context requires.
-
As regards the application of the Convention at any time by a
Contracting State, any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has at that time under the laws of that Contracting State for the purposes of the taxes to which the Convention applies, any meaning under the applicable tax laws of that Contracting State prevailing over a meaning given to the term under other laws of that Contracting State.
Article 4
-
For the purposes of this Convention, the term "resident of a
Contracting State" means:
(a) in relation to Japan, any person who, under the laws of Japan, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of head or main office or any other criterion of a similar nature;
(b) in relation to South Africa, any individual who, under the laws of South Africa, is ordinarily resident in South Africa and any person other than an individual which has its place of effective management in South Africa.
-
Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a
resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as follows:
(a) he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which he has a permanent home available to him; if he has a permanent home available to him in both Contracting States, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State with which his personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital interests);
(b) if the Contracting State in which he has his centre of vital
interests cannot be
determined, or if he does not have a permanent home available to him in either
Contracting State, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State
in
which he has an habitual abode;
(c) if he has an habitual abode in both Contracting States or in neither
of them, he
shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State of which
he is a
national;
(d) if he is a national of both Contracting States or of neither of them, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual agreement.
-
Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 a person other than an
individual is a
resident of both Contracting States, then the competent authorities of the
Contracting States
shall determine by mutual agreement the Contracting State of which
that person shall be
deemed to be a resident for the purposes of the Convention.
Article 5
-
For the purposes of this Convention, the term "permanent establishment"
means a fixed place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
-
The term "permanent establishment" includes especially:
(a) a place of management;
(b) a branch;
(c) an office;
(d) a factory;
(e) a workshop; and
(f) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources.
-
A building site, a construction, installation or assembly project or
supervisory activities in connection therewith, constitute a permanent establishment only if such site, project or activities last more than twelve months.
-
Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraphs of
this Article, the term "permanent establishment" shall be deemed not to include:
(a) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;
(b) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery;
(c) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;
(d) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise or of collecting information, for the enterprise;
(e) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of carrying on, for the enterprise, any other activity of a preparatory or auxiliary character; and
(f) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination of activities mentioned in sub-paragraphs (a) to (e), provided that the overall activity of the fixed place of business resulting from this combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary character.
-
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, where a person -
other than an
agent of an independent status to whom the provisions of paragraph 6 apply -
is acting on
behalf of an enterprise and has, and habitually exercises, in a Contracting
State an authority to
conclude contracts in the name of the enterprise, that enterprise shall be
deemed to have a
permanent establishment in that Contracting State in respect of any activities
which that person
undertakes for the enterprise, unless the activities of such person
are limited to those
mentioned in paragraph 4 which, if exercised through a fixed place of business,
would not make
this fixed place of business a permanent establishment under the provisions of
that paragraph.
-
An enterprise shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in
a Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that Contracting State through a broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business.
-
The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting
State controls or is
controlled by a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, or
which carries on
business in that other Contracting State (whether through a permanent
establishment or
otherwise), shall not of itself constitute either company a permanent
establishment of the other.
Article 6
-
Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from immovable
property, including income from agriculture or forestry, situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
The term "immovable property" shall have the meaning which it has under
the laws of the
Contracting State in which the property in question is situated. The
term shall in any case
include property accessory to immovable property, livestock and equipment used
in agriculture
and forestry, rights to which the provisions of general law respecting
immovable property apply,
usufruct of immovable property and rights to variable or fixed payments as
consideration for the
working of, or the right to work, mineral deposits, sources and other natural
resources. Ships
and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property.
-
The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the
direct use, letting, or use in any other form of immovable property.
-
The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 3 shall also apply to the income
from immovable property of an enterprise and to income from immovable property used for the performance of independent personal services.
Article 7
-
The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be
taxable only in that
Contracting State unless the enterprise carries on business in the
other Contracting State
through a permanent establishment situated therein. If the enterprise carries
on business as
aforesaid, the profits of the enterprise may be taxed in the other Contracting
State but only so
much of them as is attributable to that permanent establishment.
-
Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise
of a Contracting State
carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent
establishment situated
therein, there shall in each Contracting State be attributed to that permanent
establishment the
profits which it might be expected to make if it were a distinct and separate
enterprise engaged
in the same or similar activities under the same or similar
conditions and dealing wholly
independently with the enterprise of which it is a permanent establishment.
-
In determining the profits of a permanent establishment, there
shall be allowed as
deductions expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the
permanent establishment,
including executive and general administrative expenses so
incurred, whether in the
Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated or
elsewhere.
-
In so far as it has been customary in a Contracting State to determine
the profits to be attributed to a permanent establishment on the basis of an apportionment of the total profits of the enterprise to its various parts, nothing in paragraph 2 shall preclude that Contracting State from determining the profits to be taxed by such an apportionment as may be customary; the method of apportionment adopted shall, however, be such that the result shall be in accordance with the principles contained in this Article.
-
No profits shall be attributed to a permanent establishment by
reason of the mere purchase by that permanent establishment of goods or merchandise for the enterprise.
-
For the purposes of the provisions of the preceding paragraphs of this
Article, the profits to be attributed to the permanent establishment shall be determined by the same method year by year unless there is good and sufficient reason to the contrary.
-
Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately
in other Articles of this Convention, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.
Article 8
-
Profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in
international traffic carried on by an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
-
In respect of the operation of ships or aircraft in international
traffic carried on by an
enterprise of a Contracting State, that enterprise, if an enterprise
of South Africa, shall be
exempt from the enterprise tax in Japan, and, if an enterprise of Japan, shall
be exempt from
any tax similar to the enterprise tax in Japan which may hereafter be imposed
in South Africa.
-
The provisions of the preceding paragraphs of this Article shall also
apply to profits from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.
Article 9
-
Where
(a) an enterprise of a Contracting State participates directly or
indirectly in the
management, control or capital of an enterprise of the other Contracting State,
or
(b) the same persons participate directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of a Contracting State and an enterprise of the other Contracting State,
and in either case conditions are made or imposed between the two enterprises
in their
commercial or financial relations which differ from those which would be made
between
independent enterprises, then any profits which would, but for those
conditions, have
accrued to one of the enterprises, but, by reason of those
conditions, have not so
accrued, may be included in the profits of that enterprise and taxed
accordingly.
-
Where a Contracting State includes, in accordance with the provisions
of paragraph 1, in the profits of an enterprise of that Contracting State - and taxes accordingly
- profits on which an
enterprise of the other Contracting State has been charged to tax in that other
Contracting State
and where the competent authorities of the Contracting States agree, upon
consultation, that all
or part of the profits so included are profits which would have accrued to the
enterprise of the
first-mentioned Contracting State if the conditions made between the two
enterprises had been
those which would have been made between independent enterprises, then
that other
Contracting State shall make an appropriate adjustment to the amount
of the tax charged therein on those agreed profits. In determining such adjustment, due regard shall be had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 10
-
Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State
to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting
State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of that Contracting State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the dividends, the tax so charged shall not exceed:
(a) 5 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the
beneficial owner is a
company which owns at least 25 per cent of the voting shares of the company
paying the dividends during the period of six months immediately before the end
of the accounting period for which the distribution of profits takes place;
(b) 15 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other cases.
The provisions of this paragraph shall not affect the taxation of the company in respect of the profits out of which the dividends are paid.
-
The term "dividends" as used in this Article means income from shares
or other rights,
not being debt-claims, participating in profits, as well as income
from other corporate rights
which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from shares by the
laws of the
Contracting State of which the company making the distribution is a resident.
-
The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the
beneficial owner of the
dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the
other Contracting
State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident,
through a permanent
establishment situated therein, or performs in that other Contracting State
independent personal
services from a fixed base situated therein, and the holding in respect of
which the dividends
are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed
base. In such
case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall
apply.
-
Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State derives
profits or income
from the other Contracting State, that other Contracting State may not impose
any tax on the
dividends paid by the company, except in so far as such dividends are paid to a
resident of that
other Contracting State or in so far as the holding in respect of which the
dividends are paid is
effectively connected with a permanent establishment or a fixed base
situated in that other
Contracting State, nor subject the company's undistributed profits to a tax on
the company's
undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed
profits consist wholly or
partly of profits or income arising in that other Contracting State.
Article 11
-
Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the
other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
However, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in
which it arises and according to the laws of that Contracting State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the interest, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest.
-
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising in a
Contracting State and
derived by the Government of the other Contracting State, a political
subdivision or local
authority thereof, the Central Bank of that other Contracting State or any
financial institution
wholly owned by that Government, or by any resident of the other Contracting
State with respect
to debt-claims guaranteed, insured or indirectly financed by the
Government of that other
Contracting State, a political subdivision or local authority thereof, the
Central Bank of that other
Contracting State or any financial institution wholly owned by that Government
shall be exempt
from tax in the first-mentioned Contracting State.
-
For the purposes of the provisions of paragraph 3, the terms "the
Central Bank" and "financial institution wholly owned by that Government" mean:
(a) in the case of Japan:
(i) the Bank of Japan;
(ii) the Export-Import Bank of Japan;
(iii) the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund;
(iv) the Japan International Cooperation Agency; and
(v) such other financial institution the capital of which is wholly owned by the Government of Japan as may be agreed upon from time to time between the Governments of the two Contracting States;
(b) in the case of South Africa:
(i) the South African Reserve Bank; and
(ii) such other financial institution the capital of which is wholly owned by the Government of South Africa as may be agreed upon from time to time between the Governments of the two Contracting States.
-
The term "interest" as used in this Article means income from
debt-claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage and whether or not carrying a right to participate in the debtor's profits, and in particular, income from government securities and income from bonds or debentures, including premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures.
-
The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall not apply if the
beneficial owner of the
interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the
other Contracting
State in which the interest arises, through a permanent establishment
situated therein, or
performs in that other Contracting State independent personal services
from a fixed base
situated therein, and the debt-claim in respect of which the interest
is paid is effectively
connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the
provisions of
Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
-
Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when
the payer is that
Contracting State itself, a political subdivision or local authority
thereof or a resident of that
Contracting State. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether he
is a resident of
a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent
establishment or a fixed
base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid
was incurred, and
such interest is borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such
interest shall
be deemed to arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent
establishment or fixed base
is situated.
-
Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the
beneficial owner
or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest,
having regard to
the debt-claim for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which would have been
agreed upon by
the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the
provisions of this
Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the
excess part of the
payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each
Contracting State, due regard
being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 12
-
Royalties arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the
other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
However, such royalties may also be taxed in the Contracting State in
which they arise
and according to the laws of that Contracting State, but if the recipient is
the beneficial owner of
the royalties, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of
the gross amount of the
royalties.
-
The term "royalties" as used in this Article means payments of any kind
received as a
consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of literary,
artistic or scientific work
including software, cinematograph films and films or tapes for radio or
television broadcasting,
any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or
for the use of, or
the right to use, industrial, commercial or scientific equipment, or
for information concerning
industrial, commercial or scientific experience, as well as receipts from a
bare boat charter of
ships or aircraft (other than those dealt with in Article 8).
-
Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State
when the payer is that
Contracting State itself, a political subdivision or local authority
thereof or a resident of that
Contracting State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties, whether he
is a resident of
a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent
establishment or a fixed
base in connection with which the liability to pay the royalties was incurred,
and such royalties
are borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties
shall be deemed
to arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment or fixed
base is situated.
-
The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of this Article shall likewise
apply to proceeds arising from the alienation of any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work including software, cinematograph films and films or tapes for radio or television broadcasting, any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, or secret formula or process, except when the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 13 are applicable to the gains to be derived from such proceeds.
-
The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 5 shall not apply if the
beneficial owner of the
royalties or proceeds, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on
business in the other
Contracting State in which the royalties or proceeds arise, through a permanent
establishment
situated therein, or performs in that other Contracting State independent
personal services from
a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect
of which the royalties or
proceeds are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or
fixed base. In
such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall
apply.
-
Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the
beneficial owner
or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the
royalties or proceeds,
having regard to the use, right or information for which they are paid, exceeds
the amount which
would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the
absence of such
relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the
last-mentioned amount. In such
case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable
according to the laws of each
Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this
Convention.
Article 13
-
Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the
alienation of immovable property referred to in Article 6 and situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
Gains from the alienation of any property, other than immovable
property, forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or of any property, other than immovable property, pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing independent personal services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or together with the whole enterprise) or of such fixed base, may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
Gains derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the
alienation of ships or
aircraft operated in international traffic and any property, other
than immovable property,
pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft shall be taxable only in
that Contracting
State.
-
Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation
of any property other than that referred to in paragraph 5 of Article 12 and the preceding paragraphs of this Article and arising in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
Article 14
-
Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of
professional services or other activities of an independent character shall be taxable only in that Contracting State unless:
(a) he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing his activities; or
(b) he is present in that other Contracting State for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the calendar year concerned.
If he has such a fixed base or remains in that other Contracting State for the aforesaid period or periods, the income may be taxed in that other Contracting State but only so much of it as is attributable to that fixed base or is derived in that other Contracting State during the aforesaid period or periods.
-
The term "professional services" includes especially independent
scientific, literary, artistic, educational or teaching activities as well as the independent activities of physicians, lawyers, engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.
Article 15
-
Subject to the provisions of Articles 16 and 18, salaries,
wages and other similar
remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an
employment shall be
taxable only in that Contracting State unless the employment is
exercised in the other
Contracting State. If the employment is so exercised, such
remuneration as is derived
therefrom may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, remuneration derived by
a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned Contracting State if:
(a) the recipient is present in that other Contracting State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the calendar year concerned, and
(b) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of that other Contracting State, and
(c) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment
or a fixed base
which the employer has in that other Contracting State.
-
Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraphs of this
Article, remuneration
derived in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship or
aircraft operated in
international traffic by an enterprise of a Contracting State may be taxed in
that Contracting
State.
Article 16
Directors' fees and other similar payments derived by a resident of a Contracting State in his capacity as a member of the board of directors of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
Article 17
-
Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15, income derived
by an individual who is a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer, such as a theatre, motion picture, radio or television artiste, or a musician, or as a sportsman, from his personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
Where income in respect of personal activities exercised in a
Contracting State by an entertainer or a sportsman in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or sportsman himself but to another person who is a resident of the other Contracting State, that income may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsman are exercised.
-
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, income derived by
a resident of a
Contracting State from activities exercised in the other Contracting State, as
envisaged in the
said paragraphs, shall be exempt from tax in that other Contracting
State if such income is
derived from such activities pursuant to a special programme for cultural
exchange agreed upon
between the Governments of the Contracting States.
Article 18
-
(a) Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration, other than a
pension, paid by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof, in the discharge of functions of a governmental nature, shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
(b) However, such salaries, wages and other similar remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered in that other Contracting State and the individual is a resident of that other Contracting State who:
(i) is a national of that other Contracting State; or
(ii) did not become a resident of that other Contracting State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.
-
(a) Any pension paid by, or out of funds to which
contributions are made by, a Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
(b) However, such pension shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the individual is a resident of, and a national of, that other Contracting State.
-
The provisions of Articles 15, 16, 17 and 20 shall apply to salaries,
wages and other similar remuneration, and to pensions, in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof.
Article 19
A student or business apprentice who is present in a Contracting State solely for the purpose of his education or training and who is, or immediately before being so present was, a resident of the other Contracting State, shall be exempt from tax in the first-mentioned Contracting State on payments received from outside that first-mentioned Contracting State for the purposes of his maintenance, education or training.
Article 20
-
Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising,
not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
-
The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income,
other than income from
immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, if the recipient of
such income, being
a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting
State through a
permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that
other Contracting State
independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right
or property in
respect of which the income is paid is effectively connected with such
permanent establishment
or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the
case may be, shall
apply.
-
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, items of income
of a resident of a Contracting State not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention and arising in the other Contracting State may also be taxed in that other Contracting State.
Article 21
-
Subject to the laws of Japan regarding the allowance as a credit
against Japanese tax of tax payable in any country other than Japan:
(a) Where a resident of Japan derives income from South Africa which may
be taxed
in South Africa in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, the amount
of South African tax payable in respect of that income shall be allowed as a
credit
against the Japanese tax imposed on that resident. The amount of
credit,
however, shall not exceed that part of the Japanese tax which is appropriate to
that income.
(b) Where the income derived from South Africa is a dividend paid by a
company
which is a resident of South Africa to a company which is a resident of Japan
and
which owns not less than 25 per cent either of the voting shares issued by the
company paying the dividend, or of the total shares issued by that company, the
credit shall take into account the South African tax payable by the
company
paying the dividend in respect of its income.
-
In South Africa, double taxation shall be eliminated as follows:
Japanese tax paid by residents of South Africa in respect of income taxable in Japan, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, shall be deducted from the taxes due according to South African fiscal law. Such deduction shall not, however, exceed an amount which bears to the total South African tax payable the same ratio as the income concerned bears to the total income.
Article 22
The provisions of this Convention in respect of taxation on income shall not apply to a person (other than an individual) who has become a resident of a Contracting State in order primarily to enjoy the benefits of this Convention.
Article 23
-
Nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other
Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of that other Contracting State in the same circumstances, in particular with respect to residence, are or may be subjected. This provision shall, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 1, also apply to persons who are not residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
-
The taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a
Contracting State
has in the other Contracting State shall not be less favourably levied in that
other Contracting
State than the taxation levied on enterprises of that other Contracting
State carrying on the
same activities.
This provision shall not be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant
to residents
of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs and
reductions for taxation
purposes on account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants
to its own residents.
-
Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 9, paragraph 8 of
Article 11, or
paragraph 7 of Article 12, apply, interest, royalties and other
disbursements paid by an
enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other
Contracting State shall, for the
purpose of determining the taxable profits of such enterprise, be deductible
under the same
conditions as if they had been paid to a resident of the first-mentioned
Contracting State.
-
Enterprises of a Contracting State, the capital of which is
wholly or partly owned or
controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more residents of the other
Contracting State, shall
not be subjected in the first-mentioned Contracting State to any taxation or
any requirement
connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the
taxation and connected
requirements to which other similar enterprises of the first-mentioned
Contracting State are or
may be subjected.
-
The provisions of this Article shall, notwithstanding the provisions of
Article 2, apply to taxes of every kind and description.
Article 24
-
Where a person considers that the actions of one or both of the
Contracting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, he may, irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic laws of those Contracting States, present his case to the competent authority of the Contracting State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes under paragraph 1 of Article 23, to that of the Contracting State of which he is a national. The case must be presented within three years from the first notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.
-
The competent authority shall endeavour, if the objection appears to it
to be justified and
if it is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to resolve the
case by mutual agreement
with the competent authority of the other Contracting State, with a view to the
avoidance of
taxation which is not in accordance with the provisions of the
Convention. Any agreement
reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the
domestic laws of the
Contracting States.
-
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall
endeavour to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or application of the Convention. They may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in the Convention.
-
The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate
with each other directly for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs of this Article.
Article 25
-
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such
information as
is necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Convention or of the
domestic laws of the
Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the Convention in so
far as the taxation
thereunder is not contrary to the provisions of the Convention, or for the
prevention of fiscal
evasion with respect to such taxes. The exchange of information is not
restricted by Article 1.
Any information received by a Contracting State shall be treated as secret in
the same manner
as information obtained under the domestic laws of that Contracting
State and shall be
disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts and administrative
bodies) involved in
the assessment or collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in
respect of, or the
determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes covered by the Convention.
Such persons or
authorities shall use the information only for such purposes. They may
disclose the information
in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions.
-
In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed
so as to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:
(a) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
(b) to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws
or in the normal
course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State;
(c) to supply information which would disclose any trade,
business, industrial,
commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information, the
disclosure
of which would be contrary to public policy (ordre public).
Article 26
-
Each of the Contracting States shall endeavour to collect such taxes
imposed by the other Contracting State as will ensure that any exemption or reduced rate of tax granted under this Convention by that other Contracting State shall not be enjoyed by persons not entitled to such benefits. The Contracting State making such collections shall be responsible to the other Contracting State for the sums thus collected.
-
In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as to
impose upon either
of the Contracting States endeavouring to collect the taxes the
obligation to carry out
administrative measures at variance with the laws and
administrative practice of that
Contracting State or which would be contrary to the public policy
(ordre public) of that
Contracting State.
Article 27
Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of members of diplomatic missions or consular posts under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
Article 28
-
This Convention shall be approved in accordance with the legal
procedures of each of the Contracting States, and shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of exchange of notes indicating such approval.
-
The Convention shall be applicable:
(a) in Japan,
(i) with respect to taxes withheld at source, for amounts taxable on or after the first day of January of the calendar year next following that in which the Convention enters into force;
(ii) with respect to taxes on income which are not withheld at
source, as
regards income for any taxable year beginning on or after the first day of
January of the calendar year next following that in which the Convention
enters into force;
(iii) with respect to other taxes, as regards taxes for any
taxable year
beginning on or after the first day of January of the calendar year
next
following that in which the Convention enters into force.
(b) in South Africa,
in respect of taxes for any year of assessment beginning on or after the first day of January next following the date upon which the Convention enters into force.
Article 29
This Convention shall continue in effect indefinitely but either Contracting State may, on or before the thirtieth day of June of any calendar year beginning after the expiration of a period of five years from the date of its entry into force, give to the other Contracting State, through the diplomatic channel, written notice of termination and, in such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect:
(a) in Japan,
(i) with respect to taxes withheld at source, for amounts taxable on or
after the first
day of January of the calendar year next following that in which
the notice of
termination is given;
(ii) with respect to taxes on income which are not withheld at
source, as regards
income for any taxable year beginning on or after the first day of January of
the
calendar year next following that in which the notice of termination is given;
(iii) with respect to other taxes, as regards taxes for any taxable year beginning on or after the first day of January of the calendar year next following that in which the notice of termination is given.
(b) in South Africa,
in respect of taxes for any year of assessment beginning after the end of the calendar year in which such notice is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Convention.
DONE in duplicate at Cape Town this seventh day of March, 1997, in the English language.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA JAPAN
PROTOCOL
At the signing of the Convention between the Government of the Republic of
South Africa and
the Government of Japan for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention
of Fiscal
Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income (hereinafter referred to as
"the Convention"), the
undersigned have agreed upon the following provisions which shall form an
integral part of the
Convention:
-
With reference to Article 8 of the Convention, it is
understood that profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall include:
(a) profits derived from the rental on a bare boat basis of ships or aircraft; and
(b) profits derived from the use, maintenance or rental of containers (including trailers and related equipment for the transport of containers) used in international traffic;
if such profits are incidental to profits to which the provisions of paragraph 1 of that Article apply.
-
With reference to Article 22 of the Convention, a person shall be
regarded as having become a resident of a Contracting State primarily to enjoy the benefits of the Convention if such person is not engaged in substantive business operations in a fixed facility, including an office or factory, in that Contracting State which is considered as necessary for conducting its principal business.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Protocol.
DONE in duplicate at Cape Town this seventh day of March, 1997, in the English language.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA JAPAN
Madame
I have the honour to refer to the Convention between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Republic of South Africa for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income signed today (hereinafter referred to as “the Convention”) and to confirm, on behalf of the Government of Japan, the following understanding reached between the two Governments:
The agreement contained in the Exchange of Notes between the two Governments dated October 21, 1968 concerning the avoidance of double taxation on income derived from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall terminate and cease to have effect as respects income or taxes to which the Convention shall have effect in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 28 thereof.
I have further the honour to request you to be good enough to confirm the foregoing understanding on behalf of your Government.
I avail myself of the opportunity to extend to you the assurance of my high consideration.
Extraordinary Japan
Africa
(Signed) Ms Gill Marcus Deputy Minister of Finance
of the Republic of South Africa
(Singed) Yoshizo Konishi Ambassador
and Plenipotentiary of to the Republic of South
His Excellency
Mr Yoshizo Konishi
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of South Africa PRETORIA
Excellency
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency’s Note of today’s date which reads as follows:
“I have the honour to refer to the Convention between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Republic of South Africa for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect of Taxes on Income signed today (hereinafter referred to as “the Convention”) and to confirm, on behalf of the Government of Japan, the following understanding reached between the two Governments:
The agreement contained in the Exchange of Notes between the two Governments dated October 21, 1968 concerning the avoidance of double taxation on income derived from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall terminae and cease to have effect as respects income or taxes to which the Convention shall have effect in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 28 thereof.
I have further the honour to request you to be good enough to confirm the foregoing understanding on behalf of your Government.
I avail myself of the opportunity to extend too you the assurance of my high consideration.
I have further the honour to confirm the understanding contained in Your Excellency’s Note, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of South Africa.
I avail myself of this opportunity to extend to Your Excellency the assurance of my highest consideration.
(Signed) Ms Gill Marcus Deputy Minister of Finance
of the Republic of South Africa